In is often necessary to modify digital image data derived from one or more scanned documents or other sources, in order to generate a new digital image for storage, display, printing and/or further processing. Examples of such modifications include the need to substitute a new image such as a digital photograph or a computer-generated graphics object such as a graph, chart, etc. into the digital image data derived from the scanning operation in order to generate a new, updated digital image data file for display, printing, storage and/or other use. Such editing is sometimes referred as repurposing, because the original image data derived from the scanned document is updated and/or revised in order to serve a new purpose.
Known image processing systems have been found to be sub-optimal for editing image data derived from a scanned document. With known systems, it is technically possible to modify image data derived from a scanned document, but known systems have not allowed such modifications to be performed in an objectized fashion by simple point-and-click operations by unsophisticated users using a graphical user interface. For example, with commonly used image processing software, a user can manually define a group of pixels to be cut from an input image, using the cursor to pull a box around or otherwise encircle the group of pixels to be cut from the image. A group of replacement pixels can then be manually moved into the resulting void in the original image using a paste operation. This process is obviously time consuming and prone to errors and requires a relatively skilled user. Known image processing systems have not provided for segmentation and classification of the scanner-derived digital image data in combination with an intuitive graphical user interface that allows a user to manipulate the segmented objects of the scanner-derived image data relative to a database of available replacement objects and that allows the replacement object database to be updated to include objects from the scanner-derived data. In short, known systems are labor-intensive, time consuming and have not been found to be suitable or desirable for large jobs or other cases where high productivity is required, and where user training and knowledge might be limited.
A system and method for editing image data in accordance with the present development overcomes the deficiencies of known image processing systems and provides other enhancements and features that simplify and improve productivity for image editing operations.